1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electrical connector, and more specifically to a coaxial connector for interconnecting three substantially parallel circuit boards. Specifically, this invention relates to a matched impedance coaxial connector system used to interconnect three printed circuit boards in a parallel configuration.
2. Reported Developments
High frequency signal transmission is essential in electronic appliances and equipment such as wireless communication equipment and laptop computers. In such low profile electronic appliances and equipment, it is typical to use a plurality of parallel substrates or circuit boards. In order to transmit wideband signals between such substrates with minimum signal distortion, it is typical to connect a coaxial connector on each substrate and interconnect such coaxial connectors with a proper length of coaxial cable or jumper cable.
Conventional coaxial connectors terminated to a cable have component count and require a relatively large space to accommodate the jumper cable that is needed. Also, the mating operation of the conventional coaxial connector is not easy and is time consuming. Additionally, such conventional coaxial connectors are not suited for compact and high density electronic appliances, especially having limited space and a low profile.
A more recent example of a coaxial connector is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,211 to Kawaguichi, which discloses a coaxial connector for directly connecting two parallel circuit boards without a cable. However, as equipment becomes faster and requires special circuit positioning, connecting three or more circuit boards may be necessary. A coaxial connector capable of interconnecting three or more circuit boards, therefore becomes desirable.